


I Need You to Promise Me Something

by Saraphinethemysterious



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-04-03 23:29:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4118647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saraphinethemysterious/pseuds/Saraphinethemysterious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post Season 4- Everyone assumes Emma has lost every aspect of the person she once was due to being taken over by the Dark One. In a desperate attempt to bring back some part of the old Emma, Regina goes to talk to her only days after a dangerous fire caused by the new Dark One.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Emma?” Regina’s voice echoed throughout the dim, empty building that resided on the edge of Storybrooke. “I know you’re here. I did a locator spell.”

She cast the locator spell about an hour ago and left immediately when she got the results. She did not even tell anyone. Reporting her whereabouts to Charming or Snow had not even crossed her mind as she grabbed her coat and walked out of her office in search of Emma. 

“You know I’m not leaving, so you may as well come out.” For a slim second Regina actually wondered if she was talking to no one. After all, Emma could have easily left the abandoned factory in the time it took her to drive there. So for the time being Regina hoped she was actually talking to a person and not just an empty room.

After spending a few minutes standing there in the middle of the large room Regina was about to start looking around when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. 

“What are you doing here, Regina?”

The reformed Evil Queen acted instinctively to the voice by spinning on the balls of her feet to see the new face in the room. 

Emma did not look good.

Her hair was a mess from the humidity and the probable fact that she had not brushed it in days. Her clothes were tattered and her eyes—well they were black.

Regina took a slight step closer to her friend. “I’m here to help you.” 

She shook her head once. “You can’t help me.”

Her voice was not the same. It had the same ring that it always had but the way she spoke—it was like everything word she said had an evil underlying meaning to it. Regina tried not to read too much into it and told herself it was probably nothing.

“You don’t believe that.” Even though Emma was intentionally trying to avoid her gaze, Regina did not refrain from trying to make eye contact. She thought that if Emma could just look at her…well maybe it could help. “If you did, you wouldn’t be talking to me right now.”

Emma was silent for a few moments before sighing and finally lifting her gaze. When their eyes connected Regina had to refrain from showing how startled she was. Emma looked positively evil and it was initially shocking. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“And yet I am.” Regina shrugged. “Emma…” She proceeded forward with caution. “You need you to come back to us. You need to fight this for us. For everyone. For Henry…and for me.”

Emma realized Regina was getting closer and began to step back. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked at the ground to avoid Regina’s gaze once again. “I can’t. You don’t understand.”

Regina froze at her friend’s sudden initiative to step back with every step forward she took. “You’re right, I don’t. But I know _you_. You’re not the kind of person who backs down from a fight. And _this_ is a fight.”

Emma said nothing. She just stood there with her back turned to Regina, crouching ever so slightly. She actually stayed silent for so long that Regina began to get worried. 

She warily started to approach once more. “Emma?”

Regina half expected her to run away and was surprised when her friend actually allowed her to approach. As she came up from behind, Regina noticed that Emma’s hands had moved from around her waist to either side of her head. 

When she closed the last few feet that stood between her and Emma, Regina noticed that it was no longer silent.

Emma was actually muttering the same sentence over and over in a nearly silent tone. Regina would not even have heard it if she were not so close to Emma. “It hurts.”

“What hurts?” A comforting hand went to her friend’s shoulder.

That was an action she came to regret when Emma reacted to the feel of her friends hand by snapping her head towards Regina. Her expression was malicious as she spat, “ _I said I can’t fight it!_ ”

Regina was immediately hit with a wind of magic and thrown across the room until she hit the far wall. From there she fell to the ground and had an initial loss of breath from the experience.

She did not give up though.

Almost as soon as she hit the ground, Regina pulled herself onto her knees and got up once again. This time she leaned on the wall for support as she stood and looked at Emma.

Regina was expecting her to attack again but instead she was crouched over cradling her head like before. “Oh god,” she muttered loud enough for Regina to hear. “I feel like my head is going to explode.”

The former Evil Queen decided to play the same hand and try approaching once more. “Emma, talk to me. What’s wrong?

“You can’t help me,” she whimpered through a constant groan of pain. “I’m the Dark One now, you shouldn’t be here.”

Regina did not listen. She simply continued walking towards the woman that was in agonizing pain. “Didn’t you hear me?” Emma’s head snapped up again and her eyes caught Regina’s in their dark pool of blackness. “ _Go!_ ”

Regina froze. She was expecting Emma to hit her again but instead went back to her standing fetal position.

“Emma,” Regina coaxed as she approached closer. “Emma, look at me.”

Then she was standing right in front of the woman who had become the new Dark One only last week. She was standing in front of the woman who blew up an empty cabin at the edge of the woods only days before, just for the fun of it. She was standing in front a dear friend that she was slowly losing to the Dark One’s spirit as days went by. 

“Emma,” she said one final time as the two of them stood right in front of each other.

Regina reached down and took her friend’s hands away from her head. She then put her hands where Emma’s previously were and lifted her head so that their gazes could meet.

“The Dark One is always there, Regina. It pushes at my head and I can only hold it back so much of the time…It always manages to break through.”

The poor former Evil Queen did not know what to say. She saw the pain and innocence in her companion’s eyes and tone and knew there was nothing she could do to take it away. She was useless and unable to help—it felt awful.

“I’m going to find a way to get it out of you. I promise.” When she realized that she had tightened her grip on Emma’s head, she dropped her hands so that they cupped her face.

“I need you to promise me something.” Emma let out a shaky breath and her friend could see that she was holding back tears. When Regina’s eyebrows raised as if asking what she needed to promise, Emma continued. “You can’t let me hurt anyone.” 

“I won’t.” She said certainly.

“If I do…”

Regina shook her head. “It won’t come to that. I won’t let it.”

“But if I do, I want you to stop me—whatever it takes.”

“Emma, I can’t—”

“Regina, please…”

It was silent for a moment. Regina was weighing her options in her head but eventually had to give an answer. “Alright,” she sighed. “But I need you to fight for me. I need you to be the strong and stubborn person I’ve known you to be and fight this for me, until I can cure you.”

“I promise.”

And in that moment, Regina did not know what she was thinking. She did not know what she was doing as she gently leaned in and closed the distance between her and this woman she had grown so close to. 

As their lips touched Regina felt for the shortest of seconds like all of her problems might just fade away.

But then it was done. The two of them had pulled apart and when Regina opened her eyes, Emma had disappeared. 

She once again felt alone as she stood in the dim and seemingly empty room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yes this was at first a One-Shot but then it got a lot of follows on ffnet and I thought I'd make another chapter because-well, why not? Anyway tell me what you think. And read the notes at the end. They will help clarify some things.

“Can’t you just do another locator spell?”

Regina had no idea who just offered that bullshit idea but she didn’t hesitate to shoot it down. “No, it won’t work again. By now the Dark One has probably cast a spell to undo the ability for another locator spell to work.”

As the former evil queen sat at Granny’s with every other person working hard to get Emma back, she could not help but realize how idiotic all these people were when it comes to magic. That didn’t bother too much. What really bothered her was the thought that even though they didn’t understand magic, they pretended they did.

That thought was only further proven when Snow spoke up from the other side of the room in response. “Can’t you just undo _that_ spell?”

Regina sighed.

She couldn’t help it. All these people really thought their worthless ideas were helping and it was driving her insane. 

“No,” she kept her cool and managed to hide her growing anger. “It would take months to even figure out what that spell is and even then the Dark One could just cast a different one.”

“This is why someone shouldn’t have wasted the only locator spell we had.” Killian muttered from where he sat next to Snow.

It was a worthless comment, so quiet that Regina should not even have been able to hear it considering it came from across the room. And yet she did. If this happened days earlier Regina may have stood up and started to fight. But it did not happen days earlier. It happened then, and Regina did not have the energy to tell the idiot pirate off. 

Arguing would do no good.

So Regina stayed quiet and let the hooked man remain where he sat peacefully all the while blaming her for not only losing the locator spell but for Emma being taken over by the Dark One as well.

He never came out and said that, but Regina knew he secretly held her responsible. After all, Emma did save her from being taken over by the Dark One. If she had not done so it would be Regina in the savior’s position. 

Regina knew that Hook was not the only one blaming her. Snow held her responsible as well. It was obvious in the way they glared whenever Regina walked into a room. Their looks were like poison and almost made Regina want to leave if that didn’t mean giving up on Emma. They had already made her blame herself as well for Emma’s fate.

“We wouldn’t have just kept the locator spell like a get out of jail free pass in that children’s board game. If I hadn’t used it when I did the Dark One would have learned of the loophole and closed it.” That Regina was sure of.

Her confidence must have been evident in her tone because no one dared to challenge her logic. They simply acknowledged her comment and went straight back to making up stupid ideas. 

After a while, Regina zoned out. She realized none of these ideas would be worthwhile and decided to wrack her brain trying to make one of her own.

Before she knew it, hours had passed and the group of people came to the same decision as they did at the last two meetings—do more research and maybe stumble across something useful.

Regina could have told them right then and there that the plan was trash. They didn’t find anything useful the last two times and they will not then. Still, she stayed silent because she didn’t have a better idea. 

When everyone left, she followed behind but did not go far. As her friends, acquaintances, and no longer enemies left to head home or wherever they spent their nights, Regina stayed at Granny’s. 

She sat silently out front of the diner at one of the few tables that crowded the area. She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not know how long she had been sitting there before she learned she was not alone. 

“We’ve been sitting her for quite a while, Regina.”

Regina knew the voice was not a new one before she turned around, but still she could not place whom it belonged to until she saw the face.

“Emma,” she nearly gasped. After all, this was the last person she would think to see at the moment. Yet there she was, sitting only a few tables away.

“Mmm,” the woman hummed and avoided making eye contact as she stood up and pushed her chair back to the table properly. 

It was clear almost immediately to Regina, something was off. This was not the way Emma acted and her voice was different. She tried to place what could be off as her friend walked over to her table and took a seat across from her. 

Only then did she make eye contact. “I’m afraid Emma isn’t here with us right now.”

The Dark One.

That must have been what Emma was talking in the abandoned building. She was referring to how the Dark One could take over. And Regina was currently witnessing the effects of such a predicament.

The former evil queen processed this information quickly and afterwards decided it was best to play along. Maybe the Dark One would give up something to help get Emma back (unlikely but still possible). “Then where is she?”

The Dark One did not answer right away. They simply pursed their lips and took a moment to observe Regina before smiling maliciously. “I can feel her.” They lifted their hand and pointed to the back of their head. “Right here.” Their voice is a low, frightening hiss like that of a snake. 

Then the Dark One’s voice rose to a normal volume instantly and the smile is wiped off their face. It was replaced by a blank and equally spiteful expression. “She’s begging to come out. I can hear her yelling but to me it only sounds like whispers. No, I’m taking over for a while so Emma needs to just sit back and relax because she’s not coming back out any time soon.”

Regina had to refrain from letting her fear show. She could not let the Dark One get to her.

It was hard too. 

It was hard looking at Emma’s body knowing her friend was not in control. It was hard looking at Emma’s eyes turned dark and her complexion paled. It was hard knowing that this being was destroying every single thing that once made up Emma.

“Push for information,” Regina tried to remind herself. “You need to learn about this creature to defeat it.”

“Who are you?”

At this, the Dark One smiles once again. “Me? Why, I’m not quite sure yet. I’ve never been allowed to have a name before.” They run their tongue over their teeth. “I’ll have to think on that.”

“So you don’t have a name.” Regina gathered. “Where are you from?”

Their expression fell. The next thing Regina knew the Dark One was shaking their head and frowning. “Oh no, Regina. You won’t be gathering any information on me. Did you think I would fall for that?”

“Then what are you here for? Why are you doing this?” She was nearly yelling then.

The Dark One raised their eyebrows as if to ask why Regina raised her voice. “I just stopped by to tell you about Emma’s current status. I know you care so much. After all, that kiss—” They screech quietly. “Well it was delightful, wasn’t it?”

Regina was speechless.

“Did you think I didn’t know about that?” The Dark One leaned forward on the table. They were smiling with an open mouth. Regina could not help but look away because it may have been the Dark One talking, but it was still Emma’s smile.

With Regina looking away, the Dark One stood up, pushed their chair in, and muttered, “I know a lot of things, Regina, and I’ would warn you to stay out of my way. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into here.” Then they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N- I’m happy this didn’t turn out trashy like I thought it may. I’m sorry I used the word predicament, that was the only word I could think of meaning what I wanted to say but it still doesn’t sound right to me. I didn’t know whether or not to use the pronoun she/her to refer to Emma’s body and voice or they/their so I did they/their to make it easier. So whenever Emma is in control the pronouns will revert back to she/her. -Saraphine


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina finds her first clue in the search for Emma's cure and proceeds to follow the clues with research. (You'll want to read the chapter notes)

If the Dark One actually thought their little pep talk was going to scare Regina away, they were wrong. If anything it inspired her more.

It made her realize how dangerous the Dark One was and how little control Emma actually had over her own actions. The stakes were higher than Regina originally realized.

She was determined to find a cure. 

At the moment Regina was in the town morgue gazing down at the Apprentice’s dead body. He died the night Emma became the Dark One not long after saying, “find Merlin.”

That, being the only clue on how to rid the Dark One from Emma’s body, is what Regina planned to do. Now all she needed to do was get this spell right.

She had already tried it twice with no luck but who knows? Third time’s a charm.

Maybe the third time the spell would actually work. She may actually be able to see into the Apprentice’s memories and find out where to start looking for this Merlin character. 

Regina took a deep breath and prepared to try again. Then she slowly began to utter the enchantment once again. Her hands hovered over the Apprentice’s dead body as her magic began to coat his nonexistent aura.

She could feel it working. The dead man’s mind was not rejecting her magic like it did before. In an instant Regina was dragged from reality into the memories of the Apprentice.

Nothing was clear. Instead Regina was flooded with vague, blurry images and scenes from the older man’s past. Everything was moving so fast and she could barely focus on an image before it was replaced by another.

The enchantment ended nearly as soon as it started.

Once the spell was done and its affects were null and void. Regina stumbled back from the dead body. She was then left trying to recall as many things as she could from the informative minutes she spent in his head.

After trying so hard to recall as much as she could, Regina sighed knowing she only remembered one thing certainly. 

She distinctly remembered hearing the word Camelot numerous times.

When she turned her attention back to her surroundings she found things were not as she left them. The body of the dead Apprentice was no longer lying peacefully on the table.

It appeared to be decomposing.

Regina was confused for a moment as to what was happening but then realized that these signs were familiar to her. She had seen this once before, long ago.

It was a spell used to decompose bodies at a rate quicker than normal. Because of this the bodies toxins are released into the air of whatever enclosed space the body is held in. It does not do too much damage to a person as long as they evacuated the space quickly but it ruins the body for further examination.

The spell was cast by the Dark One, no doubt. They did not want anyone peeking through the Apprentice’s memories like Regina had already done. The Dark One must have been trying to hide something the old man knew and if Regina had to guess, it was ‘Camelot’ they were trying to keep a secret.

As Regina quickly excited the morgue to escape the fumes she realized the Dark One probably did not even know she looked through the Apprentice’s memories. They didn’t know she knew about Camelot.

For once in the entire time since Emma was taken over by the Dark One, Regina was one step ahead. And she planned on using that to her advantage.

Regina spent the next five days in the library looking for anything having to do with Camelot. All the while she was avoiding Belle as well. After what her past self did to the young girl they were not exactly on the best of terms.

Not to mention the fact that everyone else searching for a cure for Emma was in the library also. So not only did she have to evade Belle, she also had to make it look as though she was searching for the words “Dark One” in every book she searched through instead of “Camelot.”

It was not easy, but after five days of dodging Belle and reading every book she could get her hands on, she found something. It was small but it was still something that could have some significance.

The Encyclopedia of Alternate Dimensions said that Camelot was a place very similar to the feudal times that occurred in this dimension. In the short paragraph describing the dimension the name King Arthur was mentioned multiple times.

Regina mentally took note of that to look up later. She also hoped the person would not be as hard to find as this little excerpt on Camelot was.

After she read the minute paragraph what felt like a hundred times, Regina was prepared to put it to the side and look elsewhere. That is, until she was interrupted.

“Are you reading about Camelot?”

Regina’s attention quickly snapped in the direction of the voice. Behind her she found Belle gazing over her shoulder. “Um yeah I thought I would find something about…” Regina’s excuse falls short when she does not fully think through what she wants to say.

Belle obviously knows she was lying then and Regina was prepared for a stern reprimand about how she should be helping the others look for information on the Dark One, but that reprimand never comes. “It’s okay. You don’t need to lie, Regina.” Belle grins. “I know it’s frustrating looking for information all day and not finding anything. You’re obviously taking a break. We all need one sometimes. You shouldn’t feel bad.”

That was not what Regina was expecting but hey—it was a gift that she may as well go along with. She nodded once and faked a grin to make Belle believe she was right. “Well if you’re interested in Camelot I have a good book for you to read.”

As Belle began walking to another part of the library Regina stood up and followed close behind her. After a few minutes of searching, Belle found the book she was looking for and handed it to Regina.

It was a strange looking piece named King Arthur and The Knights of The Round Table. Regina took notice of how it mentioned the unanimous King Arthur and of how strange the name was. Why round tables specifically?

The former evil queen quickly skimmed over the front and back of the book reading the summary and cover. Only then did she realize something. “Wait is this—? Belle these are only stories.”

Belle shrugged as a small smirk grew on her face. “Well don’t forget our lives were only stories at one point.” The women then left Regina standing there alone with her thoughts as she walked back into another part of the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to give you guys a heads up on how much time I'll take before always posting another chapter. Like how some people post every week or every three days or whatever. But as of right now I don't know how much time I'll take before always posting another chapter. I promise you all, it will never be more than a week so you can always come back in a week and there will always be a new chapter. Also, I know this chapter is a bit boring. Hang in there. I'll put a lot of Emma and Regina in the next chapter. -Saraphine


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin finds Regina in the library with questions that of course, lead to an argument.

“Regina?” Robin Hood’s voice echoed throughout the silent library the next day. 

Regina mentally debated for a moment whether or not she wanted to call back to him. After all, the conversation would inevitably cause her to take a break from reading _King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table_ and that was a break she did not want to take. 

Still, she figured if she didn’t answer he would still search the library and find her anyway. “I’m over here!”

It took a moment but Robin eventually found Regina’s reading spot in the corner of the library. “Regina, is this where you’ve been the past few days?”

She turned to look at Robin and nodded. He sighed and sat down in the seat next to her. “I’ve been worried.”

“You didn’t need to be. I was just reading.”

He tilted his head so he could see the cover of her book but just ended up furrowing his eyebrows when he read the title. “How strange. Why round tables?”

“I know! I thought the same thing!” Regina remarked as a smile grew on her face. She handed the book over to Robin so he could closer examine it.

After a few seconds of observing the cover, Robin looked up and met Regina’s eyes. “I don’t understand.”

“I didn’t at first either.” Regina prepared to tell Robin everything. She was so happy she finally had someone to confide in who would listen and believe her that she started to ramble on. “But I put a spell on the Apprentice’s body when I went to see him and from there I was able to look into his memories—”

“Wait,” Robin cut Regina off. “It was you that ruined the Apprentice’s body? Regina—”

Then it was Regina’s turn to cut him off. “No, Robin, that wasn’t me. That was the Dark One. They ruined the body after I was done with it to destroy the evidence.”

“Evidence of what?” Robin was genuinely confused. “Why haven’t you told any of this to the others?”

“They wouldn’t understand. They don’t understand how magic works.” Regina urged her words but ultimately knew they made no difference. Robin had a disapproving look in his eyes and Regina knew she couldn’t say anything now to change that. “I thought if one person could understand it would be you…obviously I was wrong.”

Robin sighed but didn’t offer a rebuttal. He simply chose to ignore everything Regina had said to him and change the topic. He sighed and said, “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Regina nodded once slowly and realized he had only found her to talk to her about this something and not because she had been missing for days on end. “It’s about Zelena.”

“What about her?”

“After the child is born—”

“You mean your child.” Regina corrected. 

“Yes,” Robin hissed in a low voice. “Well I wanted to ask what will become of Zelena after our child is born.”

“I thought we already talked about this when we put her away.” Regina tried to make it seem like she was impartial when she was really kind of freaking out inside. He was having second thoughts and that wasn’t good.

“I just…” Robin had trouble getting out the words. “I don’t think it’s fair that she isn’t going to see her own child because she’s going to be locked in that room for the rest of eternity.”

“So you’re proposing what? We should let her out to do whatever damage she wants because she’s having your child?” Regina could not help that her voice rose a bit out of anger.

“That’s not what I’m saying, Regina.” 

“Really?” Regina’s eyebrows furrowed. “Because it seems like that’s exactly what you’re trying to say.”

“Regina, you can’t be mad at me for this!” Robin raised his voice for the first time since they started talking. 

“You know what, Robin? I am kind of mad. Zelena has done awful things including killing the real Marian, may I remind you.” Regina’s gaze hardened as she started to stare down Robin. “But you seem to forget that just because you slept with her.”

“May I remind _you_ , she’s not the only person I’ve slept with who has killed before?”

Regina was shocked. She could not believe he would bring that up. But now that he had, she could finally get him to talk about it for the first time since they started dating.

“So you’re finally ready to talk about that, are you?”

“What do you mean?”

Regina shook her head and let out a humorless laugh. “ _I mean_ , from the moment you decided you wanted to be with me you’ve completely denied the existence of my past. You refuse to believe I was the evil queen and chose to ignore it.”

Her voice was laced with anger and spite but so was his when he retorted. “And how am I supposed to deal with that? Why don’t you tell me how I should treat to your past other than trying to ignore it?”

Could he really not see what she wanted? Regina thought it was somewhat simple but still he somehow didn’t understand. “I want you to accept it. I want to accept me and all parts of me, including my past.” Her voice was calm and Regina believed that’s what threw Robin over the edge.

He stood up abruptly and started to walk away. He didn’t get too far before he turned and started to walk back. After a long moment of silence he spoke in a whisper. “I don’t know if I can do that, Regina.”

His eyes were wide and vulnerable. Regina’s, on the other hand, were hard and glaring. “Then you should leave.”

Robin didn’t move for a moment. The two of them just remained there staring at each other until Robin walked over, kissed Regina’s forehead, said, “Goodbye,” and walked away.

Then he was gone and Regina had a slim second to feel loneliness until she felt a new presence in the room. She didn’t have to look because she already knew who it was. 

“I know you’re there.”

Regina turned her head to look to her left. Where once second there was no one, the next second the Dark One appeared. 

“You’re smart—smarter than I originally thought,” the being noted as she took a seat in the chair Robin was sitting in only moments ago. “I seem to have underestimated you, Regina. You’re very resourceful.”

“I don’t think I really need your compliments right now.” Regina tried not to let her gaze soften. She wanted to be on her toes and prepared for whatever might happen. “Why are you here?”

“I know you know about Camelot.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

At that point the Dark One still chose not to directly answer Regina’s question. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you. After all, you seem to be the only person in this town with any clue as to how to defeat me.”

Regina didn’t say anything. She couldn’t believe she was actually being remotely complimented by the Dark One.

“As for why I’m here...” The Dark One trailed off as if debating whether or not they wanted to say what was on their mind. “I want you to join me.”

“What?”

“I believe in this world they call the concept an alliance.”

“You want me to be your ally?” So many other questions were going through Regina’s mind at the moment but the first one she asked was, “Why?”

“Because I think you and I would work very well together, Regina. And despite all your efforts to prove you are no longer the evil queen, you and I both know that you will never be seen as anyone else in these people’s eyes. I want you to embrace who you are, not try to run away from it. After all, isn’t that why you just broke up with your boyfriend? He couldn’t accept you for who you are—who you’ve been?”

“You don’t have to give me an answer now, just think about it. I’ll meet you again in a few days and if you don’t decline—well then we can work on terms and conditions.”

And on that note the Dark One disappeared into thin air and Regina was left with a difficult decision to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter there'll be more Regina x Dark One and maybe Emma will come out again. -Saraphine


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dark One confronts Regina asking for a decision about their offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK. LEAVE ME A COMMENT ABOUT WHAT YOU LIKE OR DON'T LIKE OR ANYTHING!

It would be a lie to say Regina did not at least consider the Dark One’s offer.

Recently she had been seriously considering if she would always be the evil queen no matter how much good she does. She wants to be good and people have told her she can be but maybe she’s just meant to be…bad.

The Dark One met her again three days later well into the night as she was finishing _King Arthur and The Knights of The Round Table,_ at her house.

One minute she was alone and the next the Dark One appeared in a cloud of smoke. “Think any more about my offer?”

“Well if we’re getting straight to business,” Regina muttered and put her book on a nearby table before taking a seat.

The Dark One’s expression is as empty as ever. “Oh, my apologies. Allow me to start over.” They take a step back, breathe in a deep breath, and then walk over to where Regina is sitting. “Hello, Regina,” she passes by the former evil queen and plants a kiss on her cheek. “How have you been? Good? Good.” She takes a seat across from Regina.

Regina tries to make it look as though she wasn’t as fazed by the kiss as she actually was because even though the Dark One is in control, they were still Emma’s lips planting the soft kiss to the side of her face. “See, that’s much better.”

The Dark One ignores her comment and goes right back to the issue at hand. “Now, my offer—have you made a decision?”

Honestly…Regina had _not_ made a decision yet. So to put that off, she asked her counter question. “What is your plan?”

I’m afraid you don’t get the privilege of knowing that until you make a decision.” They show absolutely no emotion as they speak in a deadpan tone.

Regina tries to keep a straight face but she knows a sigh escapes her. “Well, you haven’t exactly pitched me anything yet. What’s in it for me?”

At this, the Dark One actually smirks. “Why, I’m glad you asked.”

“You’ll actually get a lot out of this, Regina.” The Dark One’s smirk fell from their face. “I will spare everyone you want spared as long as the number is reasonable.” Regina wanted to ask what number was reasonable but then she realized anybody dying would be a bad thing. “And in the end, once I’ve gotten what I want, you’ll be able to rule again—if you’d like.”

“What about Emma?”

“You’ll get her back too,” they assure. “She’ll be completely unharmed as long as you don’t do anything that would make me unhappy.”

Once again, it would be a lie to say Regina was not considering it. She does not trust the Dark One but she knows they will keep their word. After all, they obviously need something from her and _that_ is good leverage.

As she sat there silently debating whether or not she should accept, something happened.  The Dark One suddenly lost their stiff posture and hunched over the table as if they were in pain.

Regina was confused but decided it best to stay silent. She did not know what was happening but something told her talking would only make the situation worse.

The Dark One groaned in pain and seemed to be fighting the agony until it suddenly stopped. The shaking ceased and they sat back up straight.

It was different though. It was as if the Dark One did not know where they were. They looked around the room as if it were completely unfamiliar and they were not just there seconds ago. Then they saw Regina.

“Regina?”

She would recognize that soft tone and questioning expression anywhere. “Emma?”

Emma, realizing she had control for the time being, gasped and leaned on the table. Everything about her was different from the Dark One. She was lighter somehow with a softer and less intense tone.

“We don’t have much time.” Emma’s voice was shaky but still stern. “I never have control for long.”

Regina did not know what to say. She wanted to say so many things but at the same time no words came out of her mouth.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Regina?” Emma cut off whatever Regina was thinking with her sharp tone. “You can’t take this offer. Everything you’ve worked for will disappear.” She choked. “I don’t want that for you.”

So Emma had seen everything the Dark One had seen..

The former evil queen did her best to change the topic. “Do you know what their plan is?”

“The Dark One wants to kill everyone that once wronged them, in Storybrooke and in the other dimensions. And it’s bad. The list is long and… I need you to stop them, Regina. I need you to stop _me_.

“This isn’t your fault. It’s the Dark One controlling you.”

“I know, but listen. I know how to defeat them.” That got Regina to listen.  “It’s a potion. Dragon’s scales, a drop of the purest blood, the rejected’s symbol, and the blood of the previous Dark One.”

That is when Emma hunched against the tabletop again.

“Wait! I don’t know what you mean by that. What are—”

It was too late. Emma was no longer bending over in pain because the Dark One had taken her place. They stood up abruptly and glared daggers at Regina. “My offer is now off the table.”

Before disappearing in a cloud of smoke they scowled down at Regina. “Good luck figuring out what those ingredients actually are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been more than a week-I know. I'm sorry. I was on a trip with a friend and there wasn't any wifi- I nearly died so be happy I'm still here people. No wifi for a week-who knows how I survived. Anyway thank's for reading, leave a comment if you feel like it. -Saraphine


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina searches for help in making the potion that will rid them of the Dark One.

Dragon scales, a drop of the purest’s blood, the rejected’s symbol, and the blood of the previous Dark One.

Regina could only decipher half of the recipe (the obvious ingredients) and she knew would need help for the other half, but who could she go to? Hook, Mary Margaret, and David hated her and blamed her for what happened to Emma.

If she told them everything she knew would they suddenly help her? She doubted it.

That’s why she stayed away from the three of them. If she went to them asking for help there’s a good chance they would push her away and just use her information on their own.

Instead she went to Belle.

The woman was smart—incredibly smart, and not to mention brave as well. If anyone could help Regina, it was her.

Regina met her in the library like any other day but instead of disappearing to do research, Regina confronted her and told the her _everything_.

“Why are you telling me this?” Was the first thing Belle asked when Regina was done explaining.

Regina was reluctant to give her the real answer. Asking for help was not an easy task for her—especially asking for Belle’s help. She had wronged this girl so many times in the past. She did not believe she deserved her help.  But this was not for Regina. It was for Emma. That was the one thing that stopped the former evil queen from turning back.

“I need your help.” She confessed. “I can’t go to Hook or David because they blame me for what happened to Emma and…you’re one of the smartest people I know, Belle. I need your help to make this potion.”

Belle was reluctant. Regina could see that much. As for the internal debate going on inside Belle’s head, well that was something she could not see.

Regina assumed Belle was weighing the options in her head. Eventually she came to the same realization as the former evil queen. She would do anything to help Emma, even if it meant working with Regina.

She nodded and sat down at a nearby table, forcing Regina to follow. “What were those ingredients again?” She pulled aside a piece of paper and a pencil as she prepared to jot down the recipe.

 Regina eagerly sat in the chair next to her and repeated the ingredients. Once written down, Belle took a minute to look over the list a few times before turning to the woman sitting next to her. “Dragon scales and blood of the previous dark one are pretty straight forward.”

Regina nodded in agreement.

“But as for the other two I don’t even know where to start.” Belle shook her head in confusion. “Have you considered that the purest’s blood is maybe Mary Margaret or Emma?”

Regina had considered that possibility. Especially if it were Emma—her being the savior and all. “I started thinking about Mary Margaret but it didn’t seem likely because of all that’s happened recently. And I don’t see how it can be Emma with the Dark One in her head nowaday.”

Belle stayed silent for a moment as she wracked her brain trying to think of anything that could help. Suddenly, she looked up at Regina with a gleam in her eyes that meant she had an idea. “You should go talk to Emma.”

“What?” Regina gasped.

“From what you’ve told me, Emma has a good chance of breaking through when you’re talking to her. I think the only way we’re going to figure out what these ingredients are is if Emma explains them to us.”

 Regina turned her head away. What Belle was asking was nearly impossible. _Nearly_. “You think it would work—me talking to Emma?”

“Yeah,” Belle nodded solemnly. “I really do.”

 

Regina didn’t exactly know where to find the Dark One. They aren’t a person who can be found. They find you and it does not normally work the other way around.

Nevertheless, she searched.

She looked everywhere in town and all the places she could be in the forest (which aren’t many places). Just when she was about to give up, Regina remembered one last place Emma could be.  It was hidden, so ideal for the Dark One as well.

She walked along the beach until she saw the familiar setting that Emma and Henry used to go to not so long ago. The place has so much sentimental value and it did not surprise Regina when she saw the Dark One sitting on the sand.

The former evil queen walked over to the other person and sat down next to them. The ocean waves barely hit the tip of her shoes. “Are you Emma right now or the Dark One?”

“Emma.” The light tone confirmed that it really is her.

Emma does not turn to look at Regina. Instead she keeps her gaze focused on the waves. “But if I step more than 10 feet away from here the Dark One takes over again.”

This struck Regina’s curiosity. “Why?”

“I think it’s just because I have such strong memories here. In a sort of way, I have jurisdiction.” Emma sighed and turned to Regina. “I blew up the police building the other day.”

“It wasn’t you,” Regina responded with full clarity. “It was the Dark One.”

“It was for the wizard’s hat. The Dark One is going to use it to jump into the other dimensions.”

Regina cursed to herself. “I’m working on the potion. I just need to know what the purest’s blood and rejected’s symbol are.” She was speaking frantically then, afraid that she may lose Emma any second. “Is the purest blood supposed to be yours or Mary Margaret’s?”

“Neither. It’s whoever in the makers eyes is the purest. In that case, it’s the purest person _you_ know. As for the rejected’s symbol—that’s also from your point of view."

“But I don’t understand—”

Emma cut her off. “You should go.”

“What? Emma, you said you should stay in control as long as we stay here.” Regina pulls her legs in from their stretched out position and curls them at her side.

“I know but I’m not willing to test that theory and put your safety at risk.” Emma actually turns to Regina then. “I can feel the Dark One pounding in my head and I’m holding them off, Regina, but it’s so difficult and tiring.”

Regina see’s the weakness in her friend’s eyes then. She sees the part that wants to give up and give in. “Okay,” Regina stops Emma’s words before she can voice her worst fears. “Just hang in there, I’m going to make this potion and you’ll be back home before you know it, just…trust me.”

“I do trust you.”

That’s when Regina leaned forward and took her friend and former enemy into her arms for a big hug. It took a second but eventually Emma’s arms wrapped around her too. Her tight grip on Regina voiced the fears that she couldn’t say out loud.

All the while Regina was thinking about how she needed to get working on this potion—quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it may not have been the most interesting but the next chapter will make up for it but I promise.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final installment of this thrilling trash story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER. It may be trash and not that good but at least you all get closure. It's stereotypical but at least you all have it. Disclaimer- I don't own ouat or any of its characters.

Belle was able to get her hands on some of Rumpelstiltskin’s blood, so that’s one item on the list we checked off. The dragon scales Regina had tucked away in her apartment made two.

As for the purest’s blood and the rejected’s symbol—Regina was having some trouble deciding what those might be.

“Emma said it’s your choice, Regina,” Belle reminds her as they sit together in the library. “It’s whoever’s blood is the purest to you and same with the other.”

Regina bit her lip and shook her head. “But I don’t know—“

Belle obviously saw where that was going and stopped Regina. “Alright,” she interrupted. “Take a second and think.” Regina does as she is told. “Now say the first person that comes to your mind when I ask who in your opinion is ‘the purest?’”

Regina took a moment. Then she finally lifted her gaze to meet Belle’s, “You.”

“What?” Belle’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“You’re the first person I thought of,” Regina realized. “You may not see it or agree with me, Belle, but to me your blood is the purest.”

She was not lying. Belle had done so many good things in her life and she had verged falling victim to darkness so many times—yet she never did. She married the Dark One and managed to bring out his humanity. To Regina, that made her the purest person she knew.

Belle was flustered. “Well, okay then…what’s the rejected’s symbol in your mind?”

This, Regina thought a lot about. She was silent for minutes before she finally had the slightest clue as to what the rejected’s symbol may be in her mind. “Do you remember that rattle Maleficent had for her child?”

“Yes,” Belle nodded as she recalled the object. “Is that what the rejected’s symbol is for you?”

Regina nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think it is.”

“Alright,” Belle nodded. “Then I am going to go talk to Maleficent while you work on the potion.”

           

They split up from there. Belle went to find Maleficent and/or Lily while Regina went to her office to begin making the potion.

It wasn’t too complicated. Mix the ingredients together and boil the mixture. Regina supposed the hard part was figuring out what the ingredients were but Emma helped with that so it was pretty simple.

Soon enough Belle was back with Maleficent’s baby rattle.

“Hey,” Regina turned to look at the woman she already knew was Belle.

She was not greeted back with a smile though. Instead Belle’s expression was dark and worried. “The Dark One is in town.”

“What?” Regina exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her seat.

“They’re trying to open a portal, Regina.” Belle rushed over to where Regina was. “We have to hurry up and finish this before they jump to another dimension.”

“Okay.” Regina’s mind went into overdrive. She suddenly understood how rushed everything was then and knew she had to hurry. “Did you get the rattle?”

“Yeah,” Belle reached into her purse and pulled out the little toy. As she handed it over she said, “I found Maleficent at Granny’s and after telling her everything, well she gave it to me.”

Regina tossed the toy into the pot and watched it melt due to the magical fire. Before she knew it, the potion was done.

After throwing a vial full into her pocket, Regina ran down to the town square.

She was not going to let the Dark One get away that easily.

 

“Stop!” Regina yelled as she ran into the town square.

She saw the Dark One starting to open a portal right in front of the clock tower. “You’re too late, Regina.” They yelled back as they finished opening the portal. Then they turned back to Regina and began slowly walking backwards toward the portal. Regina was running towards them but stopped when she saw that they had a knife in hand.

“Come any closer and Emma dies.” Regina froze a good 10 yards away. “I won’t die because this body is only a vessel for me but you can be sure as hell Emma will.”

Regina didn’t know what to do. If she moved, Emma dies. If she doesn’t, the Dark One leaves and she will lose Emma. It will take her years to track down the Dark One in the other dimensions and even then who knows what will have happened to Emma.

“Okay,” Regina spoke loudly so they could hear her from such a far distance. That’s when she had an idea. Reach out to Emma. “Emma?”

“Emma’s not here right now.”

“Emma, I know you’re in there. And I need you to listen to me.” Regina urged.

“Didn’t you hear me?” The Dark One scowls. “Emma. Is. Not. Here.”

“You need to fight,” Regina continued. “You need to fight right now because if you don’t it’s all over. This is it, Emma. Fight for me.”

Regina was sure it was over. The Dark One was going to win. She was going to lose Emma and everything she’d done would have been all in vain.

Until the Dark One hunched over in pain. Regina smiled as they slowly lost control and Emma came back to her. When she stood up straight again, Regina could see the light in Emma’s eyes.

“Give me the vial, Regina.”

She ran towards the savior and handed over the potion. Emma chugged the entire thing and in an instant a dark cloud of smoke left her body. It transferred to the air and then disappeared.

The next thing Regina knew, Emma was falling into her arms. The poor girl was so week from being possessed for so long. But all was right now because Emma was back and so what if they had to sort some things out? They were together again.       

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it. I would be very happy if you could leave a comment or kudos if you did enjoy it—because who doesn't want comments or kudos. And now I'm just rambling on so I'll end this now. Sorry if you read this entire thing. -Saraphine


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